Check out these two SLVR phone versions from Motorola. The Motorola SLVRcam V280 and SLVRlite V270 are both stylish and, from the looks of the specs, functional too. Here is the breakdown: The SLVRcam V280 has some very nice photo and video options. It has a VGA camera with 4x zoom, with built-in auto-timer and multimedia photo album creator. In addition, it can capture and playback MPEG-4, .3gpp, and H.263 video. It also has integrated Bluetooth, MP3 ringtone support, SCREEN3, and all the other standards. The SLVRlite V270 also has Bluetooth support, the ability to play video clips, GPRS, MP3 ringtone support, and a few other basic features. Both these phones should be available in the second half of 2005.

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In news that makes me smile with glee, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced that the companies next-generation console - codenamed “Revolution” - will be backwards compatible with Nintendo Gamecube games. This move adds a lot of power to Nintendo as the next generation race begins to heat up. Microsoft has been trying to tie this feature into the Xbox 2/360 feature set, and has been having difficulty doing so. Having a system be backwards compatible immediately makes it more appealing, as it has hundreds of titles available to play right out of the gate. Iwata also confirmed that the Revolution will come with integrated WiFi capabilities. From the way he was talking at the Game Developers Conference, it seems that Nintendo is finally going to get on board with the online gaming world.

From the “Can You Please Just Let It Die?” department, Nokia plans to continue throwing millions away by backing the N-Gage cell phone/video game console hybrid. The latest from them is that they plan to bring an updated version of the N-Gage QD to the market, hoping that will breathe new life (or really, initial life?) into the device.

“We’re looking at new colors, a new look and feel for the QD in the next few months,” said Gerard Wiener, director and general manager of the games business program at Nokia.

Hey Nokia, I know technology moves really fast and all, and I know how forgettable it was. However, you did have an N-Gage before the QD, and no one bought it. Then you said you would bring a redesigned version to market, in the hopes that it would spark sales. It really didn’t happen for ya. Now you can stop wondering why you guys have that sense of deja vu. You’re welcome.

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AMD’s answer to Intel’s Centrino has finally launched. The Turion 64 features AMD64 performance, HyperTransport technology, and AMD PowerNow! technology that allows you to play or work longer on a single charge. Much like the Centrino, the Turion also provides wireless compatibility to support most popular wireless interfaces for connectivity wherever the road may take you. With performance that rivals the Centrino, the Turion 64 is sure to be a popular choice for people looking for light weight mobile computers with a low price tag without sacrificing performance.

Looks like we’ve found the ultimate conversation piece, though I suspect it will frighten the women away moreso than attract them. This real-life tarantula comes encased in hardened acrylic so that you can check out all the creepy details without getting bit. I’ve actually seen something like this at my brother’s house, who took the molten skin from his pet tarantula, framed it, and placed it on an end table. This venom-free item retails for $22.95.

The network of computers used to generate the special effects wizardry behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy is still being used today, on a work-for-hire basis, for a variety of purposes. One project is the design of a super yacht, while another is around the testing of gene sequencing algorithms. Doesn’t get much more varied than that. Not to fear though, as film companies are still using the supercomputer for their effects, including Peter Jackson’s King Kong remake. Able to crunch more than 2.8 trillion calculations per second, it is now 104th most powerful supercomputer on the planet.

Last month there was a rumor about Sony’s latest flash memory based MP3 player. Sony officially launched the beautiful MP3 player to challenge Apple’s iPod Shuffle. The MP3 player is available in three flavors, 256MB, 512MB or 1GB and sports a 3 line OLED screen. Sony claims that some of its newer models can generate three hours of playback on a three minute charge! You can expect a 256MB version to set you back $133.84 (100 euros) and the 1GB to run about $321.22 (200 euros).

It’s pretty amazing what a good color job will do to an ordinary looking device. Not that the Mac mini was ordinary to begin with, but still, with one of 20 custom color jobs from Colorware, you will be the envy of Apple fans everywhere. You can pimp out your mini for $99, and they are also planning to offer matching keyboards and mice. Check out the jobs that ColorWare did on our iPod, and Xbox - they are a class act.

Yes, you read that right. This is the world’s first 7 megapixel camera phone. Of course you’re going to need to carry the optical zoom separately, but just think about how sharp those prints are going to be. The SCH-V770’s has a 1/1.8 inch type CCD image sensor, 3x optical zoom lens, flash and manual focus control. It also has 32 megabytes of internal memory, enough to store what, like 2 pictures at this resolution?

I don’t know about you, but I know that when I am in the midst of the wilderness, I want nothing more than a nicely blended smoothie. Of course, being that there are no electric outlets in said wilderness, I usually have to resort to something less appealing - but no more! This gas powered blender will have you making margaritas using only the power of propane. Oh, please keep it away from open flames.